Hunter S. Thompson Sucked

I found this pathetic picture of “Thompson” on Fox News, today’s leading source for “Gonzo” journalism. He’s dressed to the nines, just like his cartoon identity!

Hunter S. Thompson was a human being until he wrote himself into a hero myth. It’s not that he wasn’t a great writer, he certainly was. His problem was living some thin fucking bullshit persona until the popularity of that lie killed him.

Thompson surrounded himself with sycophantic admirers and in going after “bastards” became increasingly like those “bastards” until his end. The man got complacent, and died as a fucking self-absorbed tragic cartoon on a neverending quest for women and fame.

Although an American icon for bad journalism, Thompson left a hateful trail of idiosyncratic beliefs that haven’t aged very well. In the audio commentary for Fear And Loathing, Thompson continually lets out screams from snorting Amyls as he spews homophobia. I’m sure he thought it was very funny at the time, and shit, he was the king of funny! The decider! In the documentary Breakfast with Hunter, the coot bedevils Fear and Loathing writers, chasing them from his “compound” because they wanted to turn his cartoon story into a cartoon. There is nothing more pathetic than an angry old cartoon persona crank raging out over the despoliation of his sacred work. At least the geezer had the balls to do it himself.

I’ve only read a single book by Thompson, or more accurately, I’ve only listened to the audiobook of Fear and Loathing because everyone made a big fuss about him being some kind of godlike writer. I laughed some, and was forced to watch all the documentaries, but in the end he was just another drugged out self-mythologizing lunatic on a power trip from hell.

13 comments to Hunter S. Thompson Sucked

Thompson has influenced the past few generations with his invention of Gonzo Journalism. The Good Doctor broke the mold on writing and changed the world and the voice of counter-culture. His work and antics will live on to influence even more generations to come. I paid tribute to Hunter S Thompson and his work with my portrait and article on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/02/in-memoriam-hunter-s-thompson.html

I am personally a fan of Hunter S. Thompson and his work. So as you can guess, this article was difficult for me to take seriously. However, it seems you know your stuff and you appear to be a very articulate writer. But, it seems that if you had wanted this article to have been more persuasive or legitimate that you should have written a much longer article that gave much more fact and examples. It’s all opinion with nothing to back it up. It’s very vacant.

Hunter Thompson lived a life he wanted to live. I don’t know a soul on earth who would not want to live a life they wanted to live on their own terms. It takes more than courage. It takes more than balls. It takes something you acquire only by grabbing life by the throat. Something most people, especially people/critics like you are terrified of. Why denounce a man who lived a life he wanted to? Who cares if he did drugs or wrote complete shit(WHICH HE DID NOT)? Why can’t you just be inspired by a man like Hunter? He was a man the world needs; a man we all need; a type of man who is rapidly disappearing from this world, if not gone completely. He broke down walls and barriers. He gave YOU reasons to bitch in print, but most importantly he laid down a foundation for future generations to not accept the rules of life your supposed to live by; that tale were fed all through childhood to grow up and live a happy existence. It is because of men like him I survived my adolescence. We should not bad mouth men like Hunter. We should take notes and inspiration. You do not have to look at his drug use, drinking or even your opinion of his writing as an example for yourself but you can take a lifetime of inspiration by the man’s heart. If you look at the man’s heart and his will to survive in a world that is hard to survive in, you won’t be able to breathe or think a bad word to say about the man. I apologize for the tirade. I’ve never left a comment on the internet before and I respect your opinion and your bravery to put it out there.